Recently, there has been an exponential growth in consumer use of wireless telecommunications systems. To meet such consumer demand, telephone operating companies that provide wireless telecommunication services are installing and upgrading their physical plant at a rate rarely seen in telecommunications history. Furthermore, regions or countries that do not have a wire-line telecommunication system infrastructure are "leapfrogging" technology, by moving directly into wireless telecommunications which can provide a wider area of service coverage with less capital investment.
It is known in the art, however, that installation and maintenance of a cell site in wireless telecommunication systems is an expensive proposition. Turning now to FIG. 1, a typical scenario of an installation and maintenance of a cell site is shown. In this scenario, there is a personal communication system (PCS) 102 being installed in an area that is currently served by an advanced mobile phone service (AMPS) analog system 104, as is known in the art. This installation scenario occurs, for example, in urban areas where such AMPS systems as 104 are overloaded and there are delays in receiving service. A PCS system, such as 102, can help relieve such congestion by providing service at different frequency spectrums or by providing digital service, again at various frequency spectrums.
As is known in the art, an AMPS system comprises a mobile switching center (APX-MSC) 106, connected to a plurality of cell sites 108. Each cell site is connected to an antenna 110. Cell sites 108-1 through 108-N are connected to the mobile switching center (MSC) 106, via a plurality of trunks 112. Cell site 108-1 controls telecommunications among mobile units within the range of antenna 110 and connects such calls via trunk 112 to MSC 106. MSC 106 is connected via a plurality of trunks 114 to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 116. PSTN 116 comprises a plurality of local, long distance, and tandem switches, as is known in the art.
In the scenario of FIG. 1, a personal communications service (PCS) 102 is being installed in the same general geographic location as AMPS system 104. PCS 102 comprises a PCS switching center (PCSC) 120, which provides a connection 121 to PSTN 116, switching, and other functionality similar to MSC 106. PCSC 120 is connected to a plurality of cell sites 122-1 through 122-N. Each cell site is connected to an antenna 124, which, as in the prior art, facilitates communication with wireless telephones at preassigned frequencies.
In order to install, test, and maintain PCS cell sites, such as cell site 122-1, the installer must have access to the control system of PCSC 120, known as the operation maintenance panel (OMP) 126. The installer needs to be able to perform functions such as run diagnostics on various components, bring the cell site into and out of service, and perform other functions as known in the art. In the prior art, cell site 122-1, as it is being installed, is connected to one or two telephone lines (POTS) 128 and 130, which connect cell site 122-1 to a local switch 132 of the local service provider. The installer can then plug in a telephone and/or a computer, such as a laptop computer (or both) to the telephone network, as is known in the art. Local switch 132 is connected to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 116, which connects to a further local switch 134. Local switch 134 is connected to OMP 126 of the PCSC 120. The installer can then exercise the equipment by voice command to a person at OMP 126, or via remote control of the cell site through a PC. Hard wired connections, such as 128 and 130 are expensive and, in most cases, are permanent. Such wire-line connections require the PCS service provider to incur at least one, and usually two, line charges per cell. Thus, as more and more cell sites overlap, i.e., multiple service providers providing different frequency and different types (analog and digital) services, the higher the physical plant cost.
One partial solution to this problem is also illustrated in FIG. 1. A personal computer, for example a laptop 136, may be equipped with a cellular modem that operates with a currently existing analog (or digital) system that is already operating in that area. In this instance, signals from PC 136 are received at analog cell site 108-1, and are switched at APX-MSC 106 through PSTN 116 the local switch 134, and finally to OMP 126. While this system reduces the cost of physical plant and wires in the field, it incurs the additional cost of maintaining at least one cellular telephone number on analog system 106. Such maintenance of telephone numbers may be as costly, or more so, than a hard wire system, as described above.
Therefore, a problem in the art is that there is no low cost system for providing a connection from a cell site to its own operation and maintenance panel without incurring overhead expenses, possibly from competing service providers. It, of course, would be desirable to overcome these shortcomings of the known systems. It would also be desirable to have a system whereby the components that provide solutions to the installation problems noted above also function to accommodate other features of the system.
As such, the present invention contemplates a new and improved remote office administrative and maintenance system for cell cites in a wireless telecommunication network which resolves the above referenced difficulties and others.